Ambadi Udda methi

1 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp urad ( split and husked horsebean) , 1 and 1/4 tsp methi dana (fenugreek seeds),1/2 cup grated coconut,2 dry red chillies, 1 tsp dhania ( dry corriander ) seeds , a pinch of hing ( asafoetida) , gud ( jaggery ) size of a small lemon ,1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 4-5 Ambade ( hog plums). salt to taste.

Thinly peel the ambade.Heat a little oil in a small pan and when hot add the urad dal and fenugreek, coriander and dry red chillies.Roast it on a slow flame till it gives out a toasty fragrance .Mix with the coconut, add turmeric and grind to a smooth fine paste. Heat a tsp of oil , when hot add mustard seeds . When they splutter, add hing. Next, add a little water and the ambade. Add the jaggery and salt.When the ambade feel soft to the touch, add in the coconut paste and bring to a gentle boil on slow flame. Remove from heat.

This uddamethi can also be made from raw mango ( thinly peeled and cubed), or just using slit fat green chillies which are not very hot.

Serve hot with rotis, dosas or steamed rice.

Corn and Vegetable Pasta

This is made from the fancy coloured pasta available in stores today. Here I have used a corn and vegetable pasta, great for people who do not use refined flour or wheat based pasta.

The recipe is generic . The basic white sauce , I have just added a bit of basil for taste.Apart from that this is a vegetarian dish which uses no onions, garlic or root vegetables. Hence can be served in a Jain meal.

1 cup pasta , vegetables of your choice. 2 cups milk, 2 tblsp flour, basil leaves ground to a paste, about 1 tblsp of the paste, salt to taste, 2 tblsp oilve oil.pepper to taste.

Heat oil , quick cook the vegetables till they are still crunchy. take out the vegetables. Mix milk and flour to a smooth paste. Add the basil pesto till oil separates.Add the milk paste, mix well and cook on a slow flame till the sauce thickens. Add in boiled pasta, vegetables. Serve hot.

Khaman Dhokla

2 cup besan ( chick pea flour) ,1cup dahi ( yoghurt) ,½ sp turmeric.1 sp ginger chilly paste,2 sp oil,1 sp lemon juice, 1 sp baking soda ( or Eno fruit salt) ,1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds ( white til) , ½ tsp sugar. Salt to taste 2 tsp fresh coriander ( dhaniya) ½ cup grated / dessicated coconut.

Take besan  in a bowl & add curd and mix well. Add in luke warm water to make a thick batter. Add salt. Cover it and keep it in a warm place  for 3 to 4 hrs.It should ferment and rise. Add turmeric and ginger-chilly paste.

Take a vessel with a deep dish that fits into the vessel without falling in. Fill the vessel with 2 cups water.

Take a deep steel dish that fits into the top of the vessel. Apply oil to the base and sides of the dish. 

Mix lemon juice, soda and 1 tsp oil in a bowl and add it to the besan mixture and whip it well. Pour the batter into the greased plate till it is halfway up the edges.

Heat the vessel with water, when it comes to a boil, lower the flame and keep the batter filled dish onto the vessel top . Cover with a loose fitting lid. Steam for 10 mins 

Heat oil in a pan . Put in mustard seeds, when they splutter add in sesame seeds and 2 tsp water. Add in ½ tsp sugar and stir it till sugar melts. Spread this seasoning evenly over the dhokla in the plate. Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and coconut. Cut into squares and serve with green chutney or coconut chutney.

Chilla

Chilla or Chilra, is an all time favourite with young and old alike. Quick and easy to cook, it can be simply served with dahi ( yoghurt) and pickles or chutneys.

1 cup besan ( chick pea flour)
2 tbsp of your favourite vegetables chopped fine ( tomatoes, beans,cabbage, capsicum)OPTIONAL
1/4 tsp red chilli powder, turmeric , garam masala powder
warm water for the paste
salt to taste
chopped green coriander ( dhaniya)

Mix together besan , vegetables and spices. add a little warm water to form a thick pastes.Add a little water at a time to get a thick but pouring consistency.It should evenly andd thickly coat the back of a spoon.
Heat a non stick pan, brush with ghee / oil/ butter. Pour 1 ladle full of batter in the centre.Starting from the middle and keeping the ladle on the pan itself, turn the ladle outwards in a clockwise direction, till you reach the edge of the pan or the batter gets used up.Cover and cook till the bottom is golden brown and crisp. Turn and cook on the other side, till golden brown.
Serve hot with chutneys and pickle.A serving of Dahi is recommended.

Kofta Curry

Koftya clearly comes to us from the Middle East. It is basically a variety of ground meat, mixed with spices and grilled or fried, served as an dry appetizer or side dish or cooked in a rich gravy. In India the vegeratians adapted this to form the popular Kofta Curry , made with bottle gourd ( Lauki) or potatoes, paneer, raw bananas or other tubers.These koftas are made from grated vegetables, mixed with spices and flour ( mostly chick pea flour) , stuffed with rich dried nuts and fruits like raisins, apricots, sultanas and fried. These are then cooked in a tomato based gravy and garnished with cream.

1 cup grated bottle gourd ( lauki) , 100 gms paneer, 1 tbsp flour, salt to taste,1 tsp each chopped ginger ,garlic, coriander . 1 tbsp chopped mixed nuts, ¼ tsp red chilli powder.

add the salt to the grated bottle gourd and leave for 10 mins. Squeeze it till all the water is drained out.To this add giner, garlic, coriander leaves, nuts, red chilli powder, salt to taste and flour. Mix well.Crumble the paneer and add to the mixture. Mix well and roll into 8 even sized balls.

Gravy:

2 tbsp oil, 2 onions boiled, pureed and cooked till light brown.2 tbsp tomato puree, ¼ cup thick yoghurt, 8-10 cashews ground into paste , with milk,2 green cardamoms crushed, 1 tsp each red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coarinder pwoder, garam masala powder, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 cup water, salt to taste. Cheese for garnish.

Heat oil, add onion paste , add ginger garlic paste, when oil separates add tomato puree , add in red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and corriander powders,cook till oil separates, add yoghurt and cook on slow flame for 2 mins.Add cashew paste and cook till mixture thicken. Add water and salt to taste, add garam masala and cook till gravy bubbles.

Meanwhile fry the kofta balls in hot oil , once the balls are light brown , reduce heat and fry till golden brown. Drain and add to the boiling gravy. reduce heat and cook till the koftas sink into the gravy. Garnish with green coriander leaves and grated cheese or cream. Serve hot with rotis, poories, parathas , naan or kulchas.

To make a jain( free from onions and garlic)  version of the above, skip out the ginger-garlic in the koftas and the onion paste and ginger garlic paste from the gravy. Instead increase the quantity of cashews and yoghurt. You can susbstitute the lauki for raw bananas , but never potatoes or other tubers.Paneer can be used either with a combination of lauki or raw bananas or on its own. In that case double the quantity of flour.

Cauliflower Tikka Masala - jain

I married into a Vaishnav household, where onions and garlic were not consumed. As a young bride , not only was I not trained in cooking , but I had not encountered such strict dietary restrictions. My Gujarati Jain lineage not withstanding , we used onions and garlic freely at home. As a matter of fact , my dad was more of a Saraswat than a Gujarati Jain. Though at my mothers home, my Ajji ( grandmother) abstained from using onions and garlic on certain special days. Food thus cooked was called Shivrak.I was too young to have noticed this , hence my total apprehension about vaishnav cooking.
I eventually learnt some and experimented some, with various vegetables and gravies, to create some options apart from paneer.

Cauliflower Tikkas, can be served as appetizers and can be cooked in a rich gravy and served as a main entree.

Grilling the tikkas on a non stick girdle

Staring with the ingredients for the basic Tikkas
500 gms fresh , white cauliflower broken into florets.4 tbsp yoghurt, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 pinch orange food colour, 1 tsp mustard oil, salt to taste. 
Onion slices, chat masala and lemon wedges to garnish
Soak the florets in hot salty water.Drain and let dry.Mix together yoghurt, chilli powder, salt, ginger, oil and food colour. Add in the florets and keep aside for an hour, occasionally turning the florets to ensure even coating.Brush a non stick girdle with oil.arrange the florets , tightly packing them in. Cover n cook for 5 mins on a low flame. Turn over the tikkas and cook for 5 mions on the other side.Just before serving, toss them around ojn high heat and serve garnished with onion rings, lemon wedges and a sprinkling of chat masala.

The Tikkas ready to be served as appetizers. A sprinkle of Chat masala gives it a nice tang.

The Gravy:1 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin ( jeera), 1/4 cups tomato puree, 2 tbsp cashew paste, 4 tbsp yoghurt, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp cream/ malai . Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Use the tikkas as cooked above, omitting the garnish and the chat masala. Heat the ghee, add cumin seeds. Add in tomato puree, chilli powder and  coriander powder . Beat the yoghurt and add to the mixture. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Add in the cashew paste and salt to taste. Mix well , add in the tikkas and 1/4 cup water.Adjust salt . Add in the cream just before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Methi Mattar Malai - jain

Following quite a few requests for recipes without onions and garlic, my first Jain/ Vaishnav offering.Even though it says malai, I have kept the fattening ingredient to the minimum, by adding in milk and yoghurt.


1 cup finely chopped methi, 1 cup green peas,2 tbsp ghee,  1/4 cup tghick yoghurt, 1 tbsp cashew paste, 1/2 cup milk, 1 bay leafe, 1" piece of cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms crushed, 1/2 tsp white pepper powder, 2 tbsp cream/ clotted cream/ malai, salt to taste.

Heat the ghee, add bay leaf and cinnamon. Add methi , mix well , cover and cook on a slow flame for 5 mins. Add in the peas and cook for another 5 mins. Add milk , pepper and cardamom and cook on high heat till the milk starts evaporating and peas are almost done.reduce the flame, add yoghurt and cashew paste. stir constantly till well mixed.Add salt . Just before serving add the malai/ cream. Best served with crisp rotis or parathas.